Reduce Your Heating Costs This Winter
Heating generally accounts for 35-50% of annual energy costs in colder parts of the country and is often the largest energy expense in our homes.

• One of the easiest money-saving measures you can take is to caulk, seal, and weather-strip cracks around your windows and doors. You can save 10% or more on your heating and cooling costs by stopping the air leaks in your home. Learn more from the Department of Energy.
• Close off rooms that are not in use to save on heating bills.
• Ceiling fans can assist in heating during the winter. Operate the ceiling fan at low speed in the clockwise direction when viewed from below.
• Open shades and curtains to allow winter sun into your home to naturally provide heat.
• Tightly close the fireplace damper when not in use.
• Turn down the thermostat when you are away from home. In most homes, you can save about 2% of your heating bill for each degree that you lower the thermostat for at least 8 hours each day. Energy Star rated programmable thermostats will make optimal adjustments for you. Learn more at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.
• Sealing and insulating the ducts in your heating system can improve efficiency by as much as 20%. Warm air can be lost before reaching your home’s register if ducts in unheated areas such as crawlspaces and attics are not properly insulated. Also remember to insulate your hot water heater and hot water pipes. Learn more at the Alliance to Save Energy.
• Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing. This requires an upfront investment but could halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost. Find out more about Choosing the Right Window.

 
Reducing your energy use this winter is easy and affordable. Learn more at the Consumer Energy Center.

Adjusting Your Thermostat
Turn down the thermostat at night and when you're away from home. In most homes, you can save about 2% of your heating bill for each degree that you lower the thermostat for at least 8 hours each day. Contrary to some common myths, it won't take more energy to bring your home back to the desired temperature than it would to leave it at your optimum temperature all day. Programmable thermostats can automatically control temperature for time of day and season. If programmed properly, you can expect to recover the cost of the thermostat in the first year or so.

Learn more at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

Choosing The Right Window
The ENERGY STAR program qualifies specific windows based on efficiency of design. The ENERGY STAR website provides guidance on selecting the right windows for different geographic areas along with tax incentive information for installing energy-efficient windows. The Efficient Windows Collaborative operates a website that can help builders, designers, and consumers choose windows. It includes a tool that allows users to analyze energy costs and savings for windows with different ratings, and fact sheets with comparisons for each state.

Learn more about window ratings and how to choose the right window at Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Building Program.

Setting Your Aquastat
The thermostat that regulates the temperature of a hot water boiler is called an aquastat. Normally, the aquastat keeps water in the boiler around 160-180ºF. In milder weather, however, you don't need to keep the boiler that hot. The aquastat can be set manually to 140ºF (120ºF with condensing boilers), reducing fuel consumption by 5-10%. The aquastat control is usually located in a metal box connected to the boiler. If you can't locate it, ask your service technician for assistance. Your technician can also provide information on modulating aquastats (or outdoor resets) that automatically adjust water temperature depending on the outdoor temperature.

Learn more at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

Weatherizing Your Home
You can reduce heating and cooling needs by investing in insulation and weatherization products. Warm air leaking into your home in summer and out of your home in winter can waste a lot of energy. Insulating your home is like wrapping your house in a nice warm blanket, but air can still leak in or out through small cracks. Often the effect of small leaks is the same as keeping a door wide open. One of the easiest money-saving measures you can do is caulk, seal, and weather-strip all the cracks to the outside. You can save 10% or more on your energy bill by stopping the air leaks in your home.
 
Learn more from the Department of Energy.

When To Replace Your Furnace Or Boiler
If your furnace or boiler is older than 20 years, chances are it is a good investment to replace it with a high-efficiency model. Also consider a replacement now if your system is one of the following:

• Old coal burner that was previously switched over to oil or gas.
• Old gas furnace without electronic ignition. If it has a pilot light, it was probably installed prior to 1992 and has an efficiency of about 65% efficient (the least efficient systems today are 80%).
• Old gas furnace without vent dampers or an induced draft fan (which limit the flow of heated air up the chimney when the heating system is off).
  

If your furnace or boiler is 10–20 years old hire a highly-qualified home performance or heating contractor to help you evaluate your existing system. Often it will be more cost-effective to improve house insulation and air-tightness, repair or insulate ductwork, or tune up your system.

Learn more at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.